The Kennedy Center production of Little Dancer

With a powerhouse creative team featuring Susan Stroman, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty, this world premiere Kennedy Center musical is inspired by the story of a young ballerina immortalized by Edgar Degas in his famous sculpture.

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A WORLD PREMIERE KENNEDY CENTER PRODUCTION!"You know it as the sculptural quintessence of grit, grace, and love of ballet. NOW SEE IT AS A MUSICAL!"--The Washington PostLittle DancerPart fact, part fiction, and set in the harsh backstage world of the Paris Opera Ballet, this world premiere Kennedy Center musical is inspired by the story of Marie van Goethem, a young ballerina who posed for Edgar Degas and became, inadvertently, the most famous dancer in the world. Torn by her family's poverty, her debt to the artist, and the lure of wealthy men, she struggles to keep her place in the corps de ballet--a girl on the verge of womanhood, caught between the conflicting demands of life and art.

RELATED EVENT:Exhibition at the National Gallery of Art (6th and Constitution Ave., NW)Degas's Little DancerOctober 5, 2014–January 11, 2015The sculpture "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen"will be presented with 13 additional objects from the Gallery's collection, including the monumental pastel Ballet Scene (c. 1907), monotypes, and smaller original statuettes by Degas that explore the theme of ballet. The exhibition also includes the oil painting The Dance Class (c. 1873) and the pastel The Ballet (c. 1880), both from the Corcoran Gallery of Art.Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington